Inverting apparatus



Nov. 19, 1957 H. D. LATHROP ETAL 2,813,644

INVERTING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 12, 1953 NVENTORS: 3y

Arrow/5g;

United States Patent 'INVERTIN G APPARATUS Harry D. Lathrop and Emil'E.Hageline, Chicago, Ill., assignors to The Lathrop-Paulson. Company,Chicago, 111, a corporation" of Illinois Application November 12,1953,;Serial No. 391,572

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-130) This invention relates to an inventingapparatus, and more particularly to a cradle which is employed forupending an article and to means employed with the cradle for centeringthe article thereon.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of our co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 336,594, filed February 12, 1953, and now PatentNo. 2,696,822, for Convertible Can and Case Washer.

In the operation of a can washer or other article washer or treater, itis common to pass the article through the apparatus in one position andthen to invert it as it leaves the apparatus. It is found that articlespassing through the washer or other treating device and fallingdownwardly into the cradle receptacle move forwardly under the momentumof their movement and bounce about, leaving the article often improperlycentered upon the cradle so that it slides off the cradle during theinverting action, or even if inverted, is misplaced upon the receivingconveyor.

An object of the present invention is to provide means for positivelycentering an article delivered to the end of the machine under variousspeeds of movement and under difierent conditions, the mechanismoperating positively and seating the article in the desired positionirrespective of such varying speeds and conditions. Other specificobjects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a broken side view inelevation of apparatus embodying our invention; Fig. 2, a detailsectional view, the section being taken as indicated at line 2-2 of Fig.1; Fig. 3, a broken view on a reduced scale showing the apparatus inposition for engaging the article as it leaves the treating portion ofthe machine; Fig. 4, a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the cushioningdevice under compression as a result of contact with the article; andFig. 5, a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4 but showing the final operationin which the device centers the article upon the cradle.

In the illustration given, designates a washing machine or other type ofmachine for treating an article which is designated by the numeral 11.The article may be a can, a box, a crate, or any other article. In theusual operation of a can washing machine, the milk can having a bellmouth is passed through the machine in inverted position with the mouthof the can resting upon the track so that washing fluids may beintroduced into the can to clean it. At the end of the machine, the cancover is conveyed to the bottom of the receiver 12 so that the can maybe dropped in inverted position upon the cover to cause the cover to bethus seated firmly within the can. The can, with its cover in position,is then engaged by the cradle and inverted to bring the bottom of thecan upon a conveyor so that the can may be moved away in uprightposition. A machine for advancing cans in the manner described isillustrated in Hageline Patent 2,364,971. The present invention isconnections (not shown).

2,813,644 Patented Nov. 19 1957 'ice 2 applicable .to. .the inverting.of milk cans washed and treated in the manner .described, or for anyother elongated article -which.is treated in upended position whilebeing .passedthrough amachine and whichis to herestored .tozits originalvertical' position .at the. end ,of ,the machine.

In the illustration ;given,.a cradle shaftJ13 is journaledforrotarytmovementand isdriven intermittently. by .drive The cradle, asshown more clearly in .Fig.;2, may beformed ofa pair of side members 14equipped.at.one.end .with. an'angular arm.15 .and at the other endwithan arm 16 extending in the opposite direction. As the cradle thusrotates, it will pick up an article received within the support 12 andupend the same so as to place it upon a conveyor or other receivingdevice laterally of the machine. Since the washing or treating machineand the cradle apparatus which has now been described are both old inthe art and well known in structure, a further detailed description isherein believed unnecessary.

In combination with the foregoing apparatus, we provide at the end ofthe machine a vertical stop member 17 to which is secured a rod orsupport 18, the rod 18 being slidably mounted within the support 17 andcarrying at its forward end centering pad 19 which is slightly spacedlaterally of the cradle. The compression spring 20 normally urges thecentering pad 19 toward the case or can 11. The cradle moves the can orcase laterally upon a discharge platform or conveyor (not shown).

In the operation of the device, the case or article 11, as it leaves themachine 10, presses against the pad 19, causing the spring 20 to becompressed, and then the pad 19, under the influence of the compressedspring 20, centers the case or article 11 upon the cradle 13 so that itmay be accurately moved to one side of the machine.

In actual operation, it is found that the cans or cases, etc. leavingthe machine, fall downward toward the support 12 with varying speeds andin various angular positions. Under the momentum of such movement andthe fall of the article, the article moves forwardly against the pad 19to compress the spring 20, as illustrated best in Fig. 4. After themovement of the can or case has been checked and absorbed by the pad 19,the compressed spring 20 serves as a motor to move the can laterally tocenter it properly upon the cradle 13. The pad 19 may be formed of metalor any other suitable material, and the arrangement of the parts is suchthat the pad stops just short of the cradle in its return movement. Ifdesired, a stop may be used for this purpose or the parts may be sotensioned in the position shown in Fig. 1, that the pad is spacedslightly laterally of the beams 14 of the cradle 13.

In the series of movements illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the can orarticle 11 is shown approaching the pad 19 in Fig. 3, the article isshown compressing the springurged pad 19 in Fig. 4, and the returnaction of the pad to center the article upon the cradle is illustratedin Fig. 5. The spring-urged pad is found to absorb the blows from thearticles or cans even though they be greatly unequal, while at the sametime compressing spring 20 and then, in the falling action, the springurges the can or article laterally against a relatively uniformresistance so that it is centered precisely in the same place each timeupon the cradle 13, thus assuring the deposit of the upended can or casein the desired location on the receiving platform or conveyor, etc.

While, in the foregoing specification, we have shown a specificstructure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating anembodiment of the invention, it will be understood that such details ofstructure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In combination with means for advancing an article to be inverted anda cradle supported at one end of said means and adapted to receivearticles discharged from said means onto the cradle, an end wall spacedfrom the end of said means and at one side of the cradle, a padsupported upon said end wall in longitudinal alignment with said meansand at one side and spaced from the cradle, and spring means interposedbetween the pad and the end wall permitting said pad to be retractedtoward said end wall under impact from a discharged article and thenshifting said article under the force of the compressed springrearwardly upon said cradle to center the same within said cradle, saidpad being limited in movement so as to remain spaced laterally of thepath of travel of said cradle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,644,386 Kendall Oct. 4, 1927 1,837,846 Appleyard Dec. 22, 19311,943,530 Hoefileur Jan. 16, 1934 2,119,642 McClatchie June 7, 19382,709,013 1955 Hartzog May 24,

